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greater part of the nations of Asia and of Africa. 

 From hence it will not be necessary to investigate 

 the laws of these small societies, which were 

 probably governed onlj by usages and customs 

 that had been introduced through motives of 

 necessity or convenience. 



The right of private property was fully esta- 

 blished among the Chilians. Each was absolute 

 master of the field that he cultivated, and of the 

 product of his industry, which he could transmit 

 to his children by hereditary succession. This 

 fundamental principle gave rise to the first arts, 

 which the wants' of nature and their political 

 constitution required. They built their houses 

 of a quadrangular form, and covered the roof 

 with rushes, the walls were made of wood plais- 

 tered with clay, and sometimes of brick, called 

 by them tica ; the use of which they doubtless 

 learned from the Peruvians, among whom it was 

 known by the same name. 



From the wool of the Chilihueque, they ma- 

 nufactured cloths for their garments : for this 

 Ihey niade use of the spindle and distaflf, and two 

 kinds of looni$ ; the first, called guregiie, is not 

 very unlike that used in Europe ; the other is 

 vertical, from whence it derives its name utJial- 

 gucy from the verb utlialen, which signifies to 

 stand upright. Their language contains words 

 appropriate to cYery part of these looms, and 





